A comedy gathering that also had a dose of poetry suffered low audience at M Cinema in Blantyre on Friday evening during the official opening of the sixth edition of the Easter Theatre Festival.
Held at two venues this year namely Alliance Francaise de Blantyre and M Cinema, the three day festival which ended yesterday opened with a children’s workshop on Friday morning at Alliance Francaise de Blantyre before other performances in the afternoon.
However, the official opening at M Cinema failed to pull the numbers despite the stage hosting comedians from Malawi and Zambia with Kendiboni Malaudzi from South Africa missing out as he failed to travel.
Despite the low turnout, the performers put out impressive performances that excited the audience. Yona Mlakatuli from Mzuzu served an impressive poetry set that turned out to be a perfect build-up to the activities on the night before Babangoni Chisale took over.
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Ching’aning’ani and Sasoka were next and they did not disappoint as they served puns that had stories that resonated well with the audience before Mr Jokes’ turn. Mr Jokes has improved in recent times in his comedy conveyance and he too gave people a prescription of familiar stories that left the audience in stitches before Zambian comedians which included Dangerous Jubeki real name Derrick Kondowe took over the stage.
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“I am happy to be back in Malawi and unite with fellow artists. The last time I was here was 15 years ago. I would like to thank Solomonic Peacocks led by McArthur Matukuta for inviting us again,” Kondowe said. He described the festival as crucial in the development of the creative sector and that apart from giving them a chance to share their art, they also learned from Malawian artists.
“We are here not only for performances but also hold workshops on how art can be propelled as a business. Again we are trying to strengthen this friendship.
Matukuta said they will continue to give theatre practitioners the platform to showcase their talent including children as part of laying their foundation. “This being the sixth edition, we keep walking. Art is important and it needs to be fully supported. We would like to Alliance Francaise de Blantyre, Copyright Society of Malawi through Copyright Fund and other partners for their support, they have made this festival a success,” he said.
And in his remarks during the opening of the festival, Victor Gondwe, who represented Minister of Local Government, Unity and Culture, applauded Easter Theatre Festival for its consistency.
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“The festival has kept up its run every year and this is what we would like to see from organisers and today’s event gives us much hope that the industry is vibrant,” Gondwe said. He described theatre as a vital tool for community dialogue and cultural education.
And on Saturday, the festival which run under the theme ‘Celebrate Culture through Theatre,’ through the project titled ‘Enhancing Sustainable Theatre Development’ featured performances from among others, Jacaranda School for Orphans which brought The Lion King, Young Travellers Theatre, Logos Theatre, Art Sustainability Lab, Nzeka Arts and Kevin Troughton.
